LEICESTERSHIRE County Council says it is not yet known if there will be any job losses after plans to allow people to visit libraries and take out books without staff being present were revealed to help save the authority £1.3m.

The news comes as Leicestershire’s ruling cabinet receives an update on its communities and wellbeing strategy, which was agreed earlier this year.

Coun Richard Blunt, cabinet member for libraries and museums, said: “We have an excellent track record of making savings while maintaining services, such as with our transfer of community libraries.

“We have to explore some innovative ideas to save £1.3m. Some of them, such as introducing technology to allow people to visit libraries without staff being present, could result in a more flexible service and enable libraries to be accessible for longer.”

The service is responsible for a range of cultural, educational and support services, including libraries, museums, heritage sites and the record office.

An update to councillors says that a range of savings options have been identified, as the budget reduces from £5.2m to £3.9m over the next two years.

These include: • The use of smart technology at 15 libraries, allowing customers to swipe their library card to enter the library and borrow, return and renew items. It is intended to trial the new system at Syston next year

• A single hub for museums collections, archives and educational resources

• A review of the green plaques scheme

• A review of the service’s staffing structure

When asked by the Echo if the library plans would result in job losses, a county council spokesperson said the issue would not be addressed until after the trial next year.